Friday, May 10, 2013

I am writing the forward to the book, The 100 Ladies Project. It's still very much in process but it came to me just after awakening this morning what I should share in the forward to the book. Who are these ladies, and why am I telling their stories, what do I hope to accomplish? I needed to stop, take stock, and clearly define my purpose and direction for myself and so I am doing just that.

It is quite an undertaking to draw and write the stories of these 100 ladies, but it is truly the most joyful work I have ever done in my life, and I think, I hope, it will matter, will reach and touch the hearts of women everywhere because it is real, it touches on truths that touch us all, some of them rooted in very painful experiences, some are survivors of abuse, some are women who have loved dearly and lost their beloved, some are delightful, joyful stories meant to uplift and others are cautionary tales, but all are written from a gentle place, not talking about the hard things directly or in painful detail because it isn't necessary. I have done that kind of writing and I am done with it. Now I want to be a cantadora, telling stories that help and heal and can be passed on.

These ladies are part of a great lineage of women who came before and women who will follow them. They hope to make the way a little gentler, perhaps easier, or even to provide comfort for the women who read them, This is my deepest wish, my fondest desire. They have so many stories to tell, and so as they take shape on my sketchbook pages, rising like steam from hot pavement after a rain, they come as gifts that I could heretofore not have imagined. I am filled with gratitude. They are teaching me things I need to learn, they are allowing me to share a lifetime of experiences and truths that have not come easily but might be a gift that I can pass on to others, they are guardian angels, mentors, muses, and guides. They are you, they are me, they are everywoman, at least in some aspect, a smidgen here, a bit there, and these stories are not just for women. I think this book could help men understand the women in their lives better - mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, lovers, wives, or their own daughters. This book is for everyone.

I will further explore my journey with the 100 ladies here, what I am learning, what I hope to accomplish. If you want to ask questions, share your feelings, or even tell me the kind of stories that you would like to read, need to hear, please leave comments here, I really want to know. When the story is ready the lady arrives, sometimes vice versa, but one way or another my ladies keep coming forward with their truths. I am simply the scribe at their feet. ready and wiling to record them and pass them on to you.